Top for furniture



, March 19, 19?'9 F. A. SANDMANN TOP FOR FURNITURE Filed May 17, 1926 ?atented Mar. 19, 1929.

n STATES arr :FRANK A. SANDMANN, 0F RAHWAY, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO THE GLOBE-WERNICKE COMPANY, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, A CORPORA- TON OF OHIO.

TOP FOR FURNITURE.

My invention relates to tops for furniture, such as tables, desks, tiling cases, cabinets or other articles inwhich a supporting surface or covering is employed, which supporting surface or covering is usually a sheet of linolcum or other material.

It is the object of my invention to provide novel, convenient and economical means whereby such covering is held in place. It is the object of my invention further to provide novel formations and assembling of the parts of the top; further, to provide novel means whereby a protecting and retaining edge is provided for the covering; further, to pro- 7 vide a novel form of finishing strip; further to provide novel means whereby a finishing strip is assembled in the top; and, further, to provide novel means whereby a finishing strip is automatically held in place.

My invention relates principally to metal furniture, and especially steel furniture, or meal furniture. formed up out of sheet materia The invention will be further readily understood from the' following description and claims, and from the drawings, in which latter:

Fig. 1 represents an end view of they upper portion of a desk, embodyingY my invention.

Fig. 2 is a cross-section of my improved 'device, taken on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1, partly broken away; and, l

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of the same, taken on a similar section line, for better illustration of the salient parts of my invention. y

The piece of furniture, exemplified as a desk, is indicated at 11. This may be of any suitable con-struction in general form, or my Iinvention may be applied to a table or other piece of furniture.

My improved top is shown at 12, and in its preferred form comprises a base 13.wl1ich may be a sheet of metal. A. wall k14 extends downwardly from the base. An outwardly extending wall 15 is bent, as by the bend 16, from the lower end of the wall 14, and an upwardly extending wall.17 extends from the outwardly extending wall 15, being bent therefrom, as by a bend 18. These walls are preferably xed'with relation to the base, and

are shown fastened to the base by providing.

the walls with an inwardly extending flange 19, which extends inwardly from the upper end of the downwardly extending wall 14 as by the intervention of a bend 20. The flange 19 is preferably fixed to the lower face of the base, as by means of spot welding, exemplified v at 21, at suitable points along the flange. These walls preferably extend along the re-v spective edges of the top.

In the form of my invention which I have preferred to show, the downwardly extending wall extends .from the base at a point distanced fromthe outer edge of the base. The upper edge 26 of the upwardly extending wall 17 is in juxtaposition to the outer edge of the base, there being a` slit 27 between said edges.

A finishing strip 31is received in lsaid slit. This finishing strip is preferably provided with shoulders 32, 33, which coact with the edges 25, 26, for locating the nishing strip. The upper portion of the finishing strip is provided with an inward bend 35 for forming a concavity 36 thereunder, in which the outer reduced edge 37 of a cover 38 is received, which cover may be a sheet of linoleum, or other material.

The lower or inner portion 39 of the inishing strip is preferably received in the channel 40 formed by the walls 14, 15 and 17, and the portion of the basey 13 thereabove. The lower or inner portion of the finishing strip is preferably held in place by pressure, this pressure being obtained in the present instance by providing the base with a depending wall 42, whereby a slot 43 is formed between said depending wall and the upwardly extending wall 17. The upwardly extending wall acts with resilient pressure toward thedepending wall for exerting pressure upon the finishing strip. The depending wall is shown formed as a part of an angle strip 44, the horizontal wing 45 of which is secured to said base, as by means of spot welding at suitable points lengthwise of said wing between the proximate faces of the parts, as shown at 46.

In the present exemplilication, the pressure upon the finishing strip is obtained by the resiliency in the metal of the walls, and the manner 'in which the upwardly extending wall 17 is supported from the base. The metal strips out of which the walls are formed are shown thinner than the sheet metal base. The outer face of the upper end of the upwardly extending wall 17 is preferably rounded at the outer corner 47, and the outer face of the upper ortion of the finishing strip is also prefera ly slightly rounded, as

shown, for avoiding the presentation of corners to the user, and thereby avoiding wear to the clothes and injury to the person or the user. The upper portion of the finishing strip preferably extends past the outer edge of the base and coacts with the outer edge of the cover, the upper edge of the cover being preferably reduced in cross-section and received in a rabbet 48 in the cover.

lln my improved construction the depending wall 42 and the downwardly, outwardly and upwardly extending walls 14, 15 and, 17 which extend in the sequence named from the base, may be formed upzand caused to project from the base, as by affixing the same to the base by spot welding, prior to the attachment of the finishing strip and of the cover. rl`hese sheet metal parts of the top are preferably entirely finished prior to attachment of the finishing strip and the cover, which finishing may include suitable coating, painting, graining, varnishing, enameling or duco finish in suitable colors or imitations of wood or other design, as 'may be desiredn The finishing strip is preferably formed up out of a different material, and preferably has a di'erent finish, and is desirably a strip of bronze highlypolished and preferably very wear-resistant, and resistant to injury such as would aect a coated surface. lt also presents a smooth surface to the user and his clothes, not likely to injure the same.

rilhe finishing strip may be slipped into place and is automatically retained in place when inserted. 'llhus the finishing strip may be inserted by being passed downwardly through the slit 27, so that its shank or lower portion is located in the slot 43, with the outer edge 25 of the base. or upper wall, and the upper edge 26 of the upwardly extending wall 17, coacting with the shoulders 32, 33, of the finishing strip, for holding the finishing strip firmly in lace. When inserting the nishing strip in t is manner, the upwardly extending wall 17 will yield resiliently to the pressure exerted by the insertion of the finishing strip, the said wall pushing the lower portion of the finishing strip toward the de pending wall 42 when the shoulder 32 on the finishing strip is received under the outer edge of the base, the lower portion of the finishing strip being pressed and held in place between the depending wall 42 and the upwardly extending wall 17.

llf desired, the finishing stri may be inserted endwise in the slot 43, with the shoulders 32, 33, on the nishing strip located between the edges 25, 26, the finishing strips being pushed endwise until their respective lengths coincide with the lengths of the respective edges of the top.

'lfhe cover 38 is readily applied to the top, the edges of the cover being received under the inturned upper ends of the finishing strips at the four sides of the top, as by bulgwoef/se vstrips are readily inserted, and are automatically held in place. The use of screws, rivets or other fastening means for the finishing strips is avoided. The finishing strips produce a. pleasing effect, and only a narrow strip is visible, avoiding a tarnished appearance, My improved device is extremely economical in manufacture and assembly.

Having thus fully described my invention, l

what l claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. ln a top for furniture, the combination of a supporting plate, an upwardly extending wall extending upwardly from below said supporting plate and resiliently held with relation to said supporting plate, a wall depending from the edge of said supporting plate in adj acency to said upwardly extending wall to form a slot between said walls, said supporting plate provided with a shoulder extending outwardly with relation to said depending wall and the upper edge of said upwardly extending wall forming a complemental shoulder, and a finishing strip provided with a shank clampingly held between said walls solely by the resilience of said upwardly extending wall, said finishing strip further provided with opposed shoulders complemental to said first-named shoulders for locking said finishing strip in place, said finishing strip having an upward inward extension, andl a cover on, said supporting plate provided with an edge received under saidjupward inward extension.

2. A top for furniture comprising a base, a wall depending at the outer portion of said base inward of the outer edge of said base for forming a shoulder of said outer edge, walls extending downwardly, outwardly and upwardly in the sequence named from said base in manner to place said upwardly extending wall outside of said first-named depending wall to form a. slot between said walls, the upper edge of said upwardly extending wall ,forming a shoulder adjacent to said firstnained shoulder, said upwardly 'extending wall being resilient, and a finishing strip provided with a shank and with shoulders complemental to said first-named shoulders, said first-named shoulders having a space therebetween which forms a mouth for said slot, and said shank of said finishing strip var- -ranged to be received through said mouth,vv

said shank frictionally clamped between said walls of said slot, and said shoulders arranged for loclringrsaid finishing! strip in place.

lil

3. A top for furniture comprising a base, walls extending downwardly, outwardly and upwardly in the sequence named from a portion of said hase inward from the edge of said base and forming a depending apron the inner portion of which is fixed to said-base, said upwardly extending wall hein resilient with relation to said base, a wall epending downwardly from the outer end of said base inwardly from the edge of said base for forming a shoulder of said edge and for forming a. slot between said last-named wall and said upwardly extending resilient wall, said outer edge of said base located inward from the plane of the outer face of said upwardly extending wall, the upper edge of said upward- 1y extending resilient wall being adjacent to said outer edge 'of said base and :formin a shoulder eompleniental to said shoulcgler formed by said outer edge, and aiinishing strip comprising a downwardly extending shank clampingly received in said slot 1loetween said downwardly extending wall and said upwardly extending wall, said finishing Strip provided with shoulders with which said first-named shoulders eoa'ct lfor resilient-1y locking said finishing strip in place.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my nam e FRANK A. SANDMANN. 

